According to a groundbreaking study recently published in Nature, microorganisms play a key role in soil carbon storage. The study, conducted by an international team of scientists including researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry in Jena, reveals that microbial carbon use efficiency is at least four times more influential than other biological or environmental factors when it comes to global soil carbon storage and distribution. The study’s result has implications for improving soil health and mitigating climate change.